Vina Bovy

Vina Bovy (Malvina Bovi Van Overberghe) born Ghent 22 May 1900, died in the same city 16 May 1983 was a Belgian operatic soprano.

She studied in the Conservatoire in Ghent under Willemot, and first appeared on stage aged 17 as Argentine in Les deux billets (Poise). Her debut at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie was on 4 October 1920 as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust. At the Monnaie she went on to sing Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Micaela in Carmen, Sophie in Werther, Parassia in Sorochintsy Fair, and Princesse Aurore in Le songe d'une nuit d'hiver.

After establishing herself at the Monnaie, she undertook engagements around France and Belgium, leading to her debut at the Opéra-Comique on 9 March 1925 (Manon). She quickly became one of the leading sopranos in the French capital, singing Lakmé, Mimi in La bohème, Mireille, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, the three soprano roles in The Tales of Hoffmann, Leila in The Pearl Fishers, Alexina in Le roi malgré lui and Violetta in La traviata. She created the role of Myriem in La nuit embaumée by Hirschmann. With Luis Mariano Bovy appeared in Don Pasquale by Donizetti in 1944.

Noticed by Toscanini, she went to sing the Italian repertoire at La Scala Milan but she made her debut in Italian at the Colon in Buenos Aires, she never sang at la Scala. This led to her international career, with invitations from the Teatro Colón, Liceu, Madrid, Monte-Carlo, Rome. At the Paris Opéra she sang from 1935 to 1947, including Gilda, Juliette, Lucia di Lammermoor, Marguerite, Thais and Princess Shemakhan (The Golden Cockerel). She sang in Beethoven's 9th symphony under Toscanini in 1938 in New York, during a period (1936–38) when she also appeared at the Metropolitan Opera. A broadcast on 23 January 1937 of Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann with Bovy in the soprano roles has been issued on CD; she also sang Giulietta on the 1948 Opéra-Comique recording. In the 1930s she also recorded excerpts from La traviata and Rigoletto with Georges Thill.

Bovy played Séraphine in the 1943 Abel Gance film Le Capitaine Fracasse (after Théophile Gautier), in which she both sings and acts.

Bovy was the director of the Koninklijke Opera Gent from 1947 to 1955, where she sang the title role in L'aiglon and Katiusha in Risurrezione.

With a fine coloratura, Bovy had a well-trained voice, and typically French in sound.

Birth and Death Data: Born May 22, 1900 (Ghent), Died May 16, 1983 (Ghent)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1936 - 1938

Roles Represented in DAHR: soprano vocal

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor CS-018845 12-in. 2/6/1938 Symphony no. 9, in D minor NBC Symphony Orchestra ; Arturo Toscanini Orchestra, vocal soloists, and vocal chorus vocalist, soprano vocal  
Victor CS-018846 12-in. 2/6/1938 Symphony no. 9, in D minor NBC Symphony Orchestra ; Arturo Toscanini Orchestra, vocal soloists, and vocal chorus vocalist, soprano vocal  
Victor CS-018847 12-in. 2/6/1938 Symphony no. 9, in D minor NBC Symphony Orchestra ; Arturo Toscanini Orchestra, vocal soloists, and vocal chorus vocalist, soprano vocal  
Victor CS-018848 12-in. 2/6/1938 Symphony no. 9, in D minor NBC Symphony Orchestra ; Arturo Toscanini Orchestra, vocal soloists, and vocal chorus vocalist, soprano vocal  
Victor CS-018849 12-in. 2/6/1938 Symphony no. 9, in D minor NBC Symphony Orchestra ; Arturo Toscanini Orchestra, vocal soloists, and vocal chorus vocalist, soprano vocal  
Victor CS-018850 12-in. 2/6/1938 Symphony no. 9, in D minor NBC Symphony Orchestra ; Arturo Toscanini Orchestra, vocal soloists, and vocal chorus vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia (U.K.) CLX1901 12-in. 3/26/1936 Duo du 2ème acte; Vois à tes pieds celui qui te demande! Vina Bovy ; Henri Büsser ; Georges Thill Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia (U.K.) CLX1902 12-in. 3/26/1936 Duo du 1er acte; Un jour pour charmer ma vie... Vina Bovy ; Henri Büsser ; Georges Thill Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia (U.K.) CL5667 10-in. 3/26/1936 Duo du 4ème acte; Loin de Paris Vina Bovy ; Henri Büsser ; Georges Thill Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia (U.K.) CL5668 10-in. 3/26/1936 Duo du 4ème acte; Ah partons Vina Bovy ; Henri Büsser ; Georges Thill Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, soprano vocal  
Columbia (U.K.) CL5709 10-in. 4/24/1936 Brindisi Vina Bovy ; Philippe Gaubert ; Georges Thill Vocal duet (soprano and tenor), with orchestra vocalist, soprano vocal  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bovy, Vina," accessed November 5, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/109117.

Bovy, Vina. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 5, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/109117.

"Bovy, Vina." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 5 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/109117

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